Topic: RE4 ???

Hi there. My question is from a parental standpoint. My son is an E4-Army and he was approached to extend his contract or reenlist by the retention officer. He decided he didn't want to reenlist for another 3 or 4yrs but he would extend for a year. He had to see the commander for him to sign his extension. The commander is new said he needed input from previous commander and based on previous CO's input he provided him with a letter of recommendation that stated he does not recommend him for reenlistment/extension. It spelled out that he's a a substandard soldier, that while he exceeds expectations in physical fitness he doesn't meet the standards for awesome performance. As in he cuts corners and does the minimal amount to get by. No pride or ownership and hasn't succeeded in leadership roles. ...sigh...depressing to hear this. Basically he skates by and from time to time screws things up. Not a complete eff up but doesn't feel the need to excel or do more to succeed. That they feel he is better suited for something outside the military. So my question here is that he gets out in June. He hasn't done anything to receive a dishonorable discharge. The new CO stated he was troubled to get this report from the previous CO because he had not experienced poor performance from my son.--I read this whole thread, but I'm wondering, will this recommendation letter mean an RE4 designation on his DD214? or is a letter like this just meant as a NO for extending a contract or reenlisting right now--a letter just for the retention officer?. Would they tell him prior to separation that this will be going on his record as a RE4 or would they have told him when he got this letter to take back to the retention officer? He hasn't done anything that is earth shattering- there is no reason for him to receive anything other than an honorable discharge. He's 22 and a bonehead, and not mature for his age. Not an excuse, just a fact.- But what if in 5 or 6 years he is more mature and not such a bonehead and wants to enlist?or even more troubling...an RE4 would prohibit him from certain jobs...and it looks bad. I'm concerned that he will live in my basement and play video games (lol--not really, he's a good kid and always had a job previous to going into the Army) but what if his employment chances are hindered due to this designation?... Would he get an RE4 designation for just performing poorly?
Inquiring minds....

March 15th, 2017

Army Mom

Topic: RE4 ???

Hi there. My question is from a parental standpoint. My son is an E4-Army and he was approached to extend his contract or reenlist by the retention officer. He decided he didn't want to reenlist for another 3 or 4yrs but he would extend for a year. He had to see the commander for him to sign his extension. The commander is new, said he needed input from previous commander and based on previous CO's input, he provided him with a letter of recommendation that stated he does not recommend him for reenlistment/extension. It spelled out that he's a a substandard soldier, that while he exceeds expectations in physical fitness he doesn't meet the standards for awesome performance. As in, he cuts corners and does the minimal amount to get by. No pride or ownership and hasn't succeeded in leadership roles. ...sigh...depressing to hear this. Basically he skates by and from time to time screws things up. Not a complete eff up but doesn't feel the need to excel or do more to succeed. They feel he is better suited for something outside the military. So my question here is, he gets out in June... he hasn't done anything to receive a dishonorable discharge. The new CO stated he was troubled to get this report from the previous CO because he had not experienced poor performance from my son.--I read this whole thread, but I'm wondering, will this recommendation letter mean an RE4 designation on his DD214? or is a letter like this just meant as a NO for extending a contract or reenlisting right now--a letter just for the retention officer?. Would they tell him prior to separation that this will be going on his record as a RE4 or would they have told him when he got this letter to take back to the retention officer? He hasn't done anything that is earth shattering- there is no reason for him to receive anything other than an honorable discharge. He's 22 and a bonehead, and not mature for his age. Not an excuse, just a fact.- But what if in 5 or 6 years he is more mature and not such a bonehead and wants to enlist?or even more troubling...an RE4 would prohibit him from certain jobs...and it looks bad. I'm concerned that he will live in my basement and play video games (lol--not really, he's a good kid and always had a job previous to going into the Army) but what if his employment chances are hindered due to this designation?... Would he get an RE4 designation for just performing poorly?
Inquiring minds....

May 11th, 2017

Curious Ex

I see most of these posts are older but you guys seem to really know what you're talking about.
Long story short my ex husband lied extensively about his military career. Claiming glory in Fallujah ect... I now know he was never even there!
I stumbled on your site because I found his dd214 and started doing some searching. Kdk2 release with a re4 reentry code. My theory is he went awol.
Is there anyone out there who can help me decipher this information more precisely? He was mia for 146 days or so...
Please. I'm not snooping to be an ass. He's violent and has made threats to myself and our son and this information will just add to the pile of evidence I already have in case he ever tries to come after us.
Thank you

--

May 28th, 2017

dwmjr1985

RE:4 doesn't always mean someone was bad in the military. I received an Honorable Discharge, RE:4 because of a medical problem that came up. Separation code and type of discharge are something that holds a lot of value in your situation.

May 28th, 2017

dwmjr1985

Quote:

Originally Posted by Army Mom

an RE4 would prohibit him from certain jobs...and it looks bad. I'm concerned that he will live in my basement and play video games (lol--not really, he's a good kid and always had a job previous to going into the Army) but what if his employment chances are hindered due to this designation?... Would he get an RE4 designation for just performing poorly?
Inquiring minds....

As someone with an RE:4, I can tell you that the job search is not that hindered in reality (depending on Separation code and type of discharge). I would say it might hinder him getting into law enforcement if that's something he wants to do. My boss at my current job was a 16 year veteran of the air force, and my boss at my previous job that also hired me on was a 20 year veteran of the army that retired early because of a medical condition. They did ask me about my discharge, however my RE:4 was an Honorable Discharge due to a medical condition. All I had to do is explain that my medical condition isn't an issue anymore and won't hinder me at my job. In the military, I heard a lot of scare tactics going around about if you get a "Bad discharge". I know someone who received an other than honorable discharge and got a job as a city firefighter a couple weeks after he got out. Most civilian employers don't really think about it much. I think it matters more if he was claiming Veterans Preference or something. Don't quote me on that, I could be wrong. I have never had a problem finding a decent paying job since my discharge. The only other thing with me, though is that "Supervisors" when I was in, loved me because I was a hard worker and have always been a good reference for me.

November 20th, 2017

C4matrix

This question is NOT in regards to reenlistment. After the end of the Vietnam Confict I was discharge with character of service Honorable, Certificate issued DD256A, Reenlistment code RE-4 A VA Dr. came to my aid and a DD215 correction was issued reflecting RE-3 status. I had no idea what it meant in 1976. After much college coursework and a BA degree I started looking for permanent work. It couldn't have occurred to me that the DD214 page I was handing employers was not the corrected DD215. I never got a job offer from anyone I handed the RE-4 part by itself. Maybe I'm over reacting to the RE-4 / RE-3 issue, but why would I bother with a RE-4 if I was in the hiring position, which I have been. Records will follow you forever. I need to work 10 more years and could use less crap blocking my path. BTW, I'm an IT mgr.

November 20th, 2017

Duty Honor Country

Quote:

Originally Posted by C4matrix

This question is NOT in regards to reenlistment. After the end of the Vietnam Confict I was discharge with character of service Honorable, Certificate issued DD256A, Reenlistment code RE-4 A VA Dr. came to my aid and a DD215 correction was issued reflecting RE-3 status. I had no idea what it meant in 1976. After much college coursework and a BA degree I started looking for permanent work. It couldn't have occurred to me that the DD214 page I was handing employers was not the corrected DD215. I never got a job offer from anyone I handed the RE-4 part by itself. Maybe I'm over reacting to the RE-4 / RE-3 issue, but why would I bother with a RE-4 if I was in the hiring position, which I have been. Records will follow you forever. I need to work 10 more years and could use less crap blocking my path. BTW, I'm an IT mgr.

Were you applying with the government? I have never heard of a private sector job where someone had to submit a DD214

June 4th, 2018

SgtMajUSMC

Appendix I found within Marine Corps Order 1900.16,otherwise known as the Marine Corps Separations Manual (MARCORSEPMAN) statesthe following IRT reenlistment codes of 4 or 4B:RE-4: Not recommended for reenlistment. SRB/ESR entry (Page 11 entry) requiredstating reason for assignment. Individual Marine must sign SRB/ESR entry. Thiscode may be assigned in lieu of any RE-3 code (except RE-3B and RE-3F) if the Marine’sperformance warrants and the reason can be documented.RE-4B: Not recommended for reenlistment. Assign this code when there is a military orcivil record of in-service illegal drug involvement and there is no potentialfor further service. SRB/ESR entry isrequired stating the reason for assignment. Individual Marine must sign SRB/ESR entry. Just an item of note, any Marine assigned a reenlistmentcode of either RE-4 or RE-4B are prohibited from transferring to the IndividualReady Reserve (IRR).If there is a service member who is in receipt of a RE-4 orRE-4B, then its mandatory that there be a page 11 entry in that individual’sService Record Book (SRB) explaining why. We cannot separate Marines without the entry.My recommendation is to google the MCO and take a look atthe Appendix as this (reenlistment coding) isn’t specific to the Marine Corpsand universally applied across all of the uniformed services.